


Important places

by WanderingBandurria



Series: 5+1 things in the first war [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 5+1 Things, Established Relationship, First War with Voldemort, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Mild Language, Minor Violence, just a punch and it's not described on detail, so so very minor I'm just being extra careful here, social prejudice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:15:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28106895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WanderingBandurria/pseuds/WanderingBandurria
Summary: five places where Remus kisses Sirius, and one where he doesn’t
Relationships: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Series: 5+1 things in the first war [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2059119
Comments: 4
Kudos: 46





	Important places

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there!  
> So I wrote this a bit ago to give a small continuation to my fic [When it Matters](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25362421). It also follows the 5+1 things.  
> Be aware that it's more in the side of Hurt/Comfort, since it's settled on the first war, than the previous fic, that was more humour. Still, this is very mild, soft, and focused on Remus' feelings for Sirius and the changes on their relationship. You don't need to read When it Matters to understand this one, so don't worry if you didn't - This fic basically portrays Sirius and Remus in an established relationship, while When it matters showed the get together. So if you like that kind of story, I recommend you read that one too!  
> As usual, my love goes to my beta, LikeABellThroughTheNight who helped me check this. If you spot any mistake please let me know though - they are all mine, and I still make some since English it's not my first language. I love learning more about the language so please, don't doubt about hitting me with a comment if you have any type of feedback!  
> Hope you like this!

  
  


**1\. At James’ and Lily’s wedding**

Remus looks around once again. The place is small, but it looks lovely and lively with the flowers that Lily picked up. It's a very small wedding since the times aren’t for big parties, and that served perfectly for Remus and Sirius to go on their own, no excuses needed to be made about dates.  _ I really want to go with you, though,  _ Sirius had said, which led to Remus kissing him thoroughly for a couple of hours.  _ It’s better as it is, _ Remus said later, still sweating and getting his breath back. Sirius had just looked at him, his eyes like a storm, before saying  _ I don’t agree, but it’s okay if you prefer that _ . Remus had felt something painful and warm in his chest as Sirius got up to get into the shower.

Things have been a bit tense after that between them, so as Sirius spins Lily on the dancefloor, Remus nurses his drink, feeling a bit ashamed of himself for not being able to tell everyone about him and Sirius yet. The feeling somehow clashes with the happiness he feels for James and Lily, but also for himself - for having them, for having Sirius, for  _ being alive.  _ It’s such an overpowering emotion that he doesn’t know what to do with himself.

He’s not meant to be one for happiness, he always thought, but somehow, here he is now.

“Hey,” suddenly Sirius is in front of him, plopping down on one of the chairs. He’s sweaty and his eyes are guarded even though he smiles. “Do you wanna dance?” he asks, as he takes off his jacket.

Remus doesn’t have to think, his brain shutting up for once. There are only thirty people here, and none of them are going to bat an eyelid at men dancing together. Much less if it’s two close friends as they are. 

Remus nods and smiles.

When they get to the dancefloor, Lily smiles at them, swinging in James’ arms. They stop by their side and she comes closer and kisses Remus’ cheek as James puts a friendly hand on his shoulders.

“He told us he’s in love with you,” Lily says softly against his ear. “I’m so happy for you, Re,” she adds with a smile, before being pulled away by James.

Remus looks at Sirius, a blank expression on his face.

“You told them?” he asks, trying to control his heartbeat.

Sirius shrugs.

“Just about how I feel,” Sirius answers, still moving to the rhythm of the music, even though Remus has abandoned any attempt to do so, and is currently just looking at him. 

Sirius is so handsome, and Remus knows how much telling James and Lily means to him. He also knows what he meant with  _ I really want to go with you.  _ So before he can doubt himself again, he takes a big breath to calm his nerves, realizing that actually, this feels  _ right. _ He takes a step forward and grabs Sirius' face to look him in the eyes before kissing him softly and sweetly on the lips.

Sirius stops dancing immediately and, holding him by the waist, pulls him closer as he kisses him back.

**2\. At headquarters**

“Sirius, a word please.” 

The words resonate in Remus’ head like a broken record as he, James, Peter and Lily wait in the packed living room of the house that is currently the Order’s headquarters. His heartbeat has slowed down after it peaked at the dark shadow in Dumbledore’s eyes. His face and hands are cold like ice now. None of them are in great shape as they wait, Remus realizes idly - James’ hair is a mess as he paces around, nearly crashing on every other step with one of the other members of the Order that are gathered around, sipping on their coffees and chatting quietly. Lily’s leg jitters even as her face stays impassive, and Peter bites his nails relentlessly. He comes from time to time to sit next to Remus on the couch, patting his leg and saying “it’ll be alright, you’ll see.” Remus just jerks his head mechanically in response.

If Remus has learnt anything about Dumbledore, the Order, and  _ fucking life while a war is going on _ , then he’s fairly sure this is not an  _ alright _ situation.

Just when Remus is sure that James is one second away from throwing himself against the door and demanding for Dumbledore to explain what’s going on, Sirius emerges from the studio that Dumbledore uses as an office looking ashen grey.

“I’m going on a mission,” Sirius says softly so that only they can hear him, and his throat bobs up and down. “Right away. Dumbledore has everything ready. He just gave me a couple of minutes to come and say goodbye,” he adds, his eyes making contact with James, who immediately takes the two strides that separate them and throws his arms around Sirius’ shoulders.

“It’s fine, Padfoot,” Remus hears James mutter as Sirius nods, his eyes closed, his face contorted with grief that he's trying desperately to hide.

Remus is frozen on the couch. Lily looks at him, her eyes watery, before standing up to hug James and Sirius, her arms barely fitting around their bulky frames.

“Let us know as soon as you are back. I’ll make you carrot soup,” Remus hears her mutter, quietly.

Peter goes to them then too, and he awkwardly pats Sirius’ arm over James’ shoulders.

“I’m sure it’ll be alright. You’ll be fine. You are  _ you _ , after all,” is what Peter says, and Sirius opens his eyes at that, giving Peter a half-smile before letting go of James and grabbing Peter’s arm to give it a squeeze.

“Thanks, mate,” he says, and even though he looks shaken, his voice is firm.

When Sirius looks at Remus, who’s still rooted on the couch, his eyes show a turmoil of emotions. Remus sees fear and pain, and some shadows he doesn’t think he’s seen since Hogwarts. Remus is not sure what’ll happen - not with  _ them _ , not with the wizarding world, not with  _ anything - _ but he’s certain of one thing: he won’t let anything happen to this man, as far as he has any power to avert it.

He stands up, crosses the room and grabs Sirius’ cheeks, sinking his thumbs in them as he pulls their foreheads together. Sirius closes his eyes as he grabs his wrists and pushes with his forehead against him. It feels like they are drowning, it feels like the other is the only thing around to keep them alive. Remus can see the tears glistening on Sirius’ eyelashes.

“I love you,” Remus says firmly, pushing a bit harder with his forehead. “Hey. Hey, look at me,” he pleads, and Sirius’ eyes shoot open, soulful and shining like they are not only grey, but other thousand shades of blue, green and black. Sirius’ gaze is vulnerable and full of pain and Remus feels his own tears welling in his eyes. “I love you,” he says again, feeling his voice coming out choked. “You make sure to come back to me in one piece, yes?” he asks, and Sirius nods, squeezing his wrists tighter.

So Remus just nods faintly before pushing their mouths together and kissing him desperately for what can’t be more than ten seconds. 

His mouth feels roughened up when he pulls away, and he has to take a deep breath as he looks back into Sirius’ eyes to stop himself from crying. He just gives a curt nod and steels his face to look as solid as Sirius needs him to look right now.

“See you soon, buddies,” Sirius says, looking at each of them in the eyes, before nodding at the chants of  _ bye, goodbye, we love you _ , _ don’t do anything stupid _ , and leaving the room.

\---

**3\. In the Woods**

“Hey, Moony - Moony, wake up,” Sirius’ voice comes from another dimension. Rough fingers softly shake his shoulder.

“Mh,” is all that he can manage with his parched throat, before he feels something fall on top of him. A blanket, he thinks. “Thanks,” he says, but no sound comes from his throat.

He manages to open his eyes, but there’s nothing but shapes and colours. Someone - James, his brain provides afterwards, sluggish as it can only be after a night of turning into something  _ else _ but himself - is telling him, “Sirius is going to grab your head and I’m gonna put a goblet with water to your lips so you can drink some, alright mate?” Remus just nods, as he feels nimble fingers slipping under the side of his head that was nesting, if he can guess correctly, on mud and dried leaves. He's pulled up slowly, softly. It’s like Sirius can feel his throbbing headache in his own blood.

The water makes him feel like he's suddenly falling back into his body, and he closes his eyes as he drinks. He manages to raise a hand to tell James to pull it away after a couple of sips.

“Thank you,” and this time his voice works, and his eyes manage to focus on James Potter’s smile. “Any incidents?” he asks then, starting to mentally check on his body, focusing his attention on his toes before moving upwards.

“Nothing!” Peter chirps in, sounding too happy for a goddamn night running through the woods. Sirius tries to put Remus’ head on his lap, but Remus just shakes his hand to stop him, as he rises from the floor to sit up, feeling all his muscles protest. After years of transformations, he’s learnt that it’s better to start moving right away. “You didn’t even try to run away. Moony was so happy that Padfoot was back that it was like he had forgotten how to track. You didn’t even chase rabbits,” he adds, sounding incredibly grateful about that. Remus guesses, feeling a bit guilty, that it’s because he’s a rat and at some level, he’s always fearing turning into a snack too. 

“All good on your transformation too,” Sirius adds, as he pushes his fingers through Remus' hair to untangle some twigs and leaves. “I checked when you turned back - no new scars, not even a scratch,” he adds, his voice warm and soft, before he moves slowly and softly, as to not scare Remus, to kiss his temple.

“Good,” Remus says, looking at Sirius with curiosity at the soft gesture. All thoughts leave his mind as he sees the intensity of those eyes. They stay like that, looking at each other, and he thinks he should feel a bit dumb for staring at Sirius like this when James and Peter are right here, but there’s something on those eyes that just pulls him in. 

He thinks he hears James clearing his throat, but he doesn’t care, because Sirius’ fingers are tracing his cheek slowly.

“Move in with me,” Sirius says then, softly. “These past months were hell. I missed you every day. I want to be able to wake up with you whenever I’m here. I want to take care of you after the fulls,” he says then, whispering wishfully, misery and hope mixing in his eyes.

A part of Remus’ brain really, truly wants to say no -  _ no, this is too soon; no, I don’t want you taking care of me; no, I’m not your personal project to make yourself feel good.  _ A part of him really, really wants to fuck this up and work towards a self-made prophecy of  _ you don’t deserve love, everything’s going to hell, why are you even trying to hold on to this _ . Remus is sure the voice will gain strength if he lets it, so before he can think anything more, he’s nodding at the same time that he pushes forward, his back almost giving up as his arms come up to grab Sirius’ neck to keep his equilibrium as he kisses him.

His lips are chapped and his mouth feels feverish even after the water, but Sirius kisses him back with equally chapped, tired lips. His tongue is soft and hot and it shouldn’t feel this good; not after a full moon, but it does - it does, and Remus can't find it on himself to think about the possible consequences of what is definitely a rushed decision.

He finally pulls away when he feels like he’ll pass out and fall on top of Sirius, even though he knows that Sirius is already sustaining most of his weight.

Remus turns to look at James and Peter, feeling his heart beating fast, a broad smile on his face and his arms still around Sirius’ shoulders for balance. They give him a thumbs up, so with that, Remus breathes relieved and says “hey, Padfoot, can you apparate us  _ home?”  _ looking straight into James’ eyes, who keeps smiling. 

Sirius laughs in his ear, his hands squeezing his hips, before answering, “right away, Moony.”

\---

**4\. At the Ministry of magic**

“Remus!” someone yells as he’s being escorted into the Ministry. The voice is fuelled with despair and Remus hasn’t heard it in three months, but it still feels like it’s the only thing important in the world, and covers all the insults being thrown in his direction by all the snobs that seem to lurk at every corner of the Ministry.

Remus turns around, his eyes searching frantically around the atrium until he meets Sirius’ gaze.

“Sirius!” he yells back, not caring about the rough hand that pushes at his back to try to make him keep walking, sinking their knuckles into his flesh and making a shot of pain run right up to his head. Sirius is running in his direction, but when he’s almost there, he bolts to his side. Before Remus can process what’s going on, Sirius is throwing a fist into the nose of one of the purebloods that Remus just passed by - one that said something particularly nasty about  _ creatures _ like him.

Suddenly, everything is chaos - one of the Ministry’s officers who was escorting him is moving towards Sirius, his wand raised as he sends a binding charm that Sirius manages to avoid. Another official is coming from behind Sirius and he doesn’t use magic but grabs Sirius with his hands. Remus is pulled away by a magical rope held by the other officer, but before he can think of the consequences of his actions, his own magic is breaking the rope and he’s running towards Sirius, who’s being slowly dragged away, as the pure-blood snob shrieks and yells from the floor, covering his nose, getting the attention of a few more officers.

“Remus!” Sirius yells again, desperately. Before any officer can do anything about it, Remus is in front of him, grabbing his head and kissing him, short and roughly.

“Love, love,” he chants against Sirius’ lips, looking into his eyes as firmly as he can, trying to transmit that it’s alright. “Don’t worry. It’s just this new law about registration. It’s alright, it’s alright, I swear to you,” he adds, and his fingers try to sink into Sirius’ scalp as he’s suddenly grabbed by the waist and pulled. “It’s alright! I’ll see you home soon,” he yells, as he’s dragged away. Sirius’ eyes are all intensity and anger, but he just nods and then his attention is back on the officers, as he yells “take your hands off me, you fucking pigs!” 

Even though Remus feels the sudden pain of a stinging hex on his back - he’s not sure why he deserves to get it except for  _ being a werewolf _ , since he’s now with his hands raised and walking back in the direction of the  _ Magical Creatures registration office _ -, he still smiles at Sirius’ insult. It’s one of Sirius’ favourites after he heard Remus and Lily use it to refer to the Muggle police. It’s so endearing and familiar, that it almost makes him forget that, after the forced registration, he has to go back to the pack he’s staying with, and not  _ home _ for at least another week.

\---

**5\. At his childhood home**

Remus is trying to put on his tie on his old childhood bedroom when he hears the short rap of knuckles against the door. “Come in,” he says without paying attention. It’s probably his father - after all, they are alone in the house.

He’s not prepared to see Sirius there, looking sharp and handsome in his Muggle suit.

“Hey,” Sirius says, softly. “How are you hanging, Moony?” he asks, as he closes the door behind him.

Remus looks at him with his mouth slightly open. Sirius shifts on his feet.

“Um, I’m sorry for coming without telling you. I thought that - I missed you and - well, you can say I’m just a friend if you prefer to. I don’t want to impose, Remus. Just want to be here for you now,” he says, as he passes a hand over his hair, one of the only tells of Sirius’ nervousness.

A slow smile comes to Remus' lips before he surges forward and kisses Sirius, feeling gratefulness and love blossom in his chest.

“Thank you,” Remus says softly against Sirius’ lips when they pull apart. 

They make it through the whole funeral service without holding hands, although Sirius pats him on the back or squeezes his shoulder from time to time.

When they get back to his parents’ home, everything is hectic. Remus and his dad run from the kitchen to the crowded living room with trays of food and drinks; they make small talk with every relative of Hope they’ve never heard about before today. While Remus runs up and down, he keeps an eye on Sirius, but he’s actually perfect, making something unclench on Remus’ chest. He makes small talk with the cranky old ladies, refills drinks, and at some point, he forces Remus to stop and eat, almost pushing the piece of quiche into his mouth. Lyall smiles at that when he runs into them in the kitchen, and thanks Sirius for being here with sad, tired eyes and shaky hands.

It’s a bit over half an hour later that Remus is able to slow down again for a second when he realizes that Sirius is talking with his grandmother. She hates wizards, and the thought of what she might say to Sirius makes his stomach clench. She never forgave Lyall for taking Hope away, for bringing her to a new life which she knew nothing about, nor for “passing on” his magic to Remus. Of course, when Remus was bitten, things finished going to hell, to the point that she threw every plate in the house at Lyall’s face before storming out, not answering Hope’s calls nor opening the door to her in over five years. 

Remus feels a cold chill down his back before realizing that she’s actually  _ laughing _ with Sirius. Cautiously, he walks closer to them, and when he’s within hearing range, he hears Sirius telling her one of his favourite stories about Hope - how she helped him learn to ride a motorbike when he was only sixteen.

When Sirius finishes, Remus is already by their side, smiling happily and listening to the story, his heart warming at it. And then, Remus' grandmother turns to him, pinches his cheek and says, “your friend is adorable.”

“He’s actually my boyfriend,” Remus says before he can stop himself. He blinks for a second, confused about whether he intended to say that or not, and decides that  _ yes _ ,  _ actually, since he didn’t have the chance to introduce Sirius as his partner to his mother, he might as well do so to all of her family. Who cares now, since she's dead and Remus already missed the opportunity to know what she would have thought about it. _

He turns on his heels then, grabs Sirius’ hand, and kisses him square on the mouth, dry and short. It’s barely a peck, but he’s sure it gets his point across the room, as it goes suddenly silent. Sirius looks at Remus with so much love in his eyes, that Remus feels brave and ready to face any bigotry, any war, any hate for the rest of his life. 

“Oh, I’m sure your mother would have been as delighted as I am with the news,” Remus hears before turning to see his father standing at his back, a beer in his hand that he raises to them with a soft, tired smile and glassy eyes. “She loved Sirius very much,” he adds, and his eyes flick to Sirius for a second, before coming back to Remus.

Before he can think of anything, Remus is throwing his arms around his father. He doesn’t think they’ve hugged in years. It’s so warm, and Remus feels so safe, that he stays there for a minute - just until his father pats his back and mutters in his ear “I think it’s time for you boys to go back home. I’ll deal with the rest of this. Come visit soon to tell me all about it, alright?”

Remus just nods and takes a deep breath before letting go of his father. He goes back to Sirius, takes his hand, and pulls him towards the kitchen, not even looking at his grandmother. 

He doesn't care for her reaction, but he has the inkling that if she didn't like relationships between Muggles and Wizards, she might not like them between two men.

From there, it’s just a short run until they are out of the wards from where they can apparate straight into the alleyway behind their flat.

\---

**+1**

Remus tries to recast the heating charm - he really tries, but without his wand, and being so hungry that he feels he might faint, there’s no use. He pulls his tattered jacket tighter over his chest.

“I’m going for a walk,” he says as he stands up, feeling miserable. The others hum in response, and shift closer to the fire, closing the circle again.

Before Remus can think about whether it’s wise or not, his feet are carrying him through the forest, straight towards the meeting spot where he gets things from the Order - the same place where his wand and a stash of personal memorabilia are hidden. He’s so tired, so cold, that he doesn’t even think about switching direction to avoid being followed. He’s fairly certain no one will try to do so, not in this pack. Not only because it's so cold that no one in their right mind would choose to move away from the fire, but also because they don’t really care to keep an eye on him. This pack has been particularly accepting, not really questioning where the supplies he brings come from. He’s fairly certain that they would accept him using his wand, but well, he prefers not to risk it. Previous experiences have shown how much a mistake like that can cost him.

When he gets to the hollow three where he keeps his things, he does the three taps with his finger that allow him to get his things out. He then takes his wand out and casts a heating charm. He sighs, relieved, taking a shuddering breath, before stashing his wand back into the tree.

Feeling a bit more back into his body, he then pulls out a photo. He sits on the fallen tree, and his lips quirk at the sight of James, Peter, and Sirius, who wave back at him and push each other out of frame. 

_ Soon _ , he thinks, feeling all the fatigue of the last two months hitting him all the sudden.  _ Soon, _ he repeats, like it’s a mantra, as he traces Sirius’ smile in the picture.

Before leaving, he takes the picture to his lips, and with just a brush of his lips, kisses softly the cold paper. 

_ Soon _ , he thinks, as he taps the tree trunk with his finger, and retraces his steps to go back to the camp where he has to spend this cruel winter.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are always appreciated, I love hearing what you guys think!  
> You can find me on [Tumblr](wanderingbandurria.tumblr.com), if you like my content or you wanna chat!


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